How to get the Ability Patch in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Philip Trahan
pokemon scarlet violet ability patch

There are a ton of useful items in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet that can help players on their journey. Here’s how players can find an Ability Patch in Paldea for themselves.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet have a ton of useful items for trainers to find and use to help further them along over the course of their adventure.

While items like Rare Candies help Pokemon gain experience more easily, other items help Pokemon in battle in different ways. One such item is the incredibly useful Ability Patch.

Unfortunately, as the Ability Patch is such a useful item it’s also very hard to obtain. Here’s everything trainers need to know about earning Ability Patches for themselves.

Where to find the Ability Patch in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

While the Ability Patch has a niche purpose—changing a given Pokemon’s set ability—it’s incredibly useful when it comes to the competitive side of battle.

Considering the competitive side of battling doesn’t really begin until players have reached the post-game, trainers must do just that before they can even unlock the Ability Patch in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Specifically, Ability Patches are very rare rewards for completing 6-Star Tera Raids and completing the Academy’s Ace Tournament.

pokemon scarlet violet black tera crystal
Black Tera crystal house 6-Star Tera Raid battles that may very rarely give Ability Patches.

Unlocking the Academy’s Ace Tournament requires players to beat the three main story paths. Also, you must rematch all eight gym leaders at higher levels than normal. Upon doing so, the Ace Tournament will unlock at the Academy’s reception desk.

To unlock 6-Star Tera Raids, players must conquer the Ace Tournament at least once. From there, Mr. Jacq will give you a call and ask you to complete a bunch of 5-Star Tera Raids. After doing so, trainers will be able to find Black Tera crystals around Paldea that house 6-Star Tera Raids.

What does the Ability Patch do?

The Ability Patch is not a Held Item but is similar to an item like a Rare Candy or Evolution Stone which players can simply use on a Pokemon from their Bag.

The Ability Patch essentially allows a Pokemon to unlock its Hidden Ability. For those who may not know, a Hidden Ability is an ability slot that Pokemon can only have if obtained a certain way.

The reason Hidden Abilities are usually sought after is—generally speaking—they are more useful in competitive battling than a Pokemon’s standard ability.

The three starter Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet
Each of the final evolutions for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s starter Pokemon has very strong Hidden Abilities.

For example, say a trainer catches a Pidgey with either Keen Eye or Tangled Feet for its ability. While preventing accuracy loss with Keen Eye or increasing evasion while confused with Tangled Feet can be helpful, its Hidden Ability—Big Pecks—usually proves to be more useful in competitive battling in that it prevents its Defense stat from being lowered at all.

As such, those who want to get into competitive battling and use Pokemon with great Hidden Abilities may want to stack up on as many Ability Patches as they can find.

And that’s everything players need to know about finding the Ability Patch item in Generation 9! For more Pokemon Scarlet & Violet guides, trainers can check out the links below:

How to get Marks in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Are Pokemon Scarlet & Violet compatible with Pokemon Home? | Unlocking 5 & 6-star Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | How to unlock Rotom Phone cases in Scarlet & Violet | How to get all starters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | How to get Sprigatito, Floragato & Meowscarada | How to get Fuecoco, Crocalor & Skeledirge | How to get Quaxly, Quaxwell & Quaquaval | How to change clothes in Scarlet & Violet | How to co-op with friends in Scarlet & Violet | All Shiny forms in Scarlet & Violet | Sandwich recipes in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet egg breeding guide | How to get Rare Candy in Scarlet & Violet

About The Author

Philip is a Staff Writer at Dexerto based in Louisiana, with expertise in Pokemon, Apex Legends, and general gaming industry news. His first job in the games industry was as a reviewer with NintendoEverything.com while attending college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication focusing on Multimedia Journalism, he worked with GameRant.com for nearly two years before joining Dexerto. When he's not writing he's usually tearing through some 80+ hour JRPG. You can contact him at philip.trahan@dexerto.com.